Hello from Western Australia!
I hope you’re managing to stay safe & well, and aren't too affected by the constant barrage of new “stuff” that’s happening in the world (will it ever stop?!)
Here in Perth, we have officially entered autumn and after enduring months of heatwaves with over 40C (104F) temps daily, we are finally getting cooler weather and – yes! – even the first rain since Nov last year! It’s a blessed relief for the parched soil and poor burnt plants in my
garden.
You know, every year when we go through the summer, I vow that I’m going to give up gardening. It’s just too heart-breaking.
And then autumn arrives, and the rains come, and it’s like magic how the plants revive, sending out new growth and bursting forth with fresh flowers. I can’t help but admire their resilience and it always inspires me to keep going, to try again!
It’s just as well that my garden is recovering because I’m currently working on the next English Cottage Garden mystery so I need all the inspiration I can get! 😉
This is Book 6: “Too Mulch to Handle”. I have managed to get the bare bones of a first draft down: a very rough scaffold of the main mystery plot. Now I’m going through it again from the beginning, re-writing, fleshing out the scenes, developing
character motivations and figuring out how to add red herrings, etc…
This is also when I figure out how to interlace the longer “series arcs” into the mystery plot. As you know, all my series have “back stories” for the characters which run from book to book and so although each book works as a standalone murder mystery, there are also ongoing subplots
and threads that are developed slowly as the series progresses.
So whether it’s the enigma of Caitlyn’s missing mother in my Bewitched by Chocolate series or why father and son, Bertie and Nick, are so estranged in my English Cottage Garden series, or
even whether the “second-chance romance” between Devlin and Gemma can ever work in my Oxford Tearoom series… these bigger mysteries and questions are part of the world of these books and show the characters having their problems to tackle – beyond finding out who the murderer is!
Weaving these ongoing subplots into the main mystery plot in a seamless way is quite demanding. It's often why I get stuck when I’m writing. But the creative challenge keeps things fresh and interesting for me and I believe the back stories & subplots are what really bring these
characters to life for my readers! 😊
Oh, speaking of bringing characters to life – in case you missed my last newsletter, my latest release: Wrongfully Infused (Oxford Tearoom Mysteries #11) is now also available in audiobook format, with my narrator Pearl Hewitt beautifully translating the story that was in my head (and on the page) into audio for your
listening pleasure. If you haven’t picked it up yet, you can get it here:
** And in case you missed it, here are the links for the Kindle and paperback editions:
***
Audio for "Paws by the Beach" series?
For those who have been asking about audiobooks of my recently relaunched “Paws by the Beach” series – the answer is: yes, I certainly intend to do audio versions. The problem is finding a narrator. You see, although Pearl is a marvel and can do an amazing range of different accents, the Aussie accent is one that she feels less confident about (and of course, there isn’t just one Aussie accent either!) And since this series takes place in Australia, with several Aussie characters, she’s not sure she’d be the best person to narrate it.
If I have to find a new narrator just for this series, that could take some time, especially as I’m a bit of a fussy perfectionist – haha! But don’t worry – I'll keep you posted on the progress.
New French release & coming to bookstores in France!
Now, I have some very big news for my French-speaking readers! First of all, the French translation of Two Down, Bun to Go, Book 3 in my Oxford Tearoom
Mysteries will be releasing soon.
The French title is: Flagrant délice (Les Thés meurtriers d’Oxford - Livre 3) and here’s the French cover…
You can grab it already on pre-order here:
* And if you're interested in reading a free review copy - and can post a review on Amazon FRANCE – please reply to this email and let me know.
Secondly, I’m very excited announce that I have just signed a deal with a French publisher who will be distributing my French editions in bookstores across France! So from May onwards, the paperback editions of the first 2 titles: Chou à la crim’ and Beau thé fatal will be available in Fnac and other bookshops, as well as certain large retail sites such as Carrefour. This will be followed by the next two titles later in the year.
Any native Japanese speakers here?
While we’re on the subject of translations, I also wanted to share that I’m exploring the possibility of doing Japanese translations. This is still very early-stage research, but I was wondering if there would be any readers here who would like to help me choose a Japanese translator?
You would need to be a native Japanese speaker and you’d simply have to read a sample Japanese translation of a few pages of A Scone to Die For and let me know what you think – whether the translation managed to capture the “tone/style” of the story, the original voice of the characters and whether it’s easy and enjoyable to read.
If anyone can help, I would really appreciate it! 😊 Just reply to this email if you’d like to get involved.
And finally… for all the Muesli fans (and cat lovers), here’s a real-life mystery story for you!
We’d been a bit worried about the little minx in recent months. The real-life Muesli might be very different to the fictional version in my Oxford Tearoom Mysteries but the one thing they both share is a healthy appetite! So it was odd to find her leaving her meals untouched and
gradually losing weight. At first, it seemed a complete mystery: a vet check-up gave the all-clear - no sinister lumps, worrying blood test results or unusual heart rhythms... Then our vet took a closer look in Muesli's mouth - and we discovered a strange condition called Feline Tooth Resorption...
Thanks for reading - talk soon!
Hsin-Yi
(H.Y. Hanna)
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